Software development is performed in stages, from a first stage of designing a solution to answer a well identified problem, to code writing when implementing the solution, to the last step being testing this code. Planning cost and duration of each of these stages is critical to determine the business case for proceeding with the software development and for properly planning the date of availability of the software.
Some techniques exist for automatically generating test plans, however, the inventors herein recognized that a more complete test plan is needed both for following progress in test execution and for knowing in advance the plan of defects in the code the development team will have to manage. Other techniques include test planning assistance for following test progression which includes providing, for a given project, a number of man-days estimated to be required for subsequent test execution in the current test project and an estimated time period. The method uses as input past test execution information and the number of involved workers already captured from this project and other projects. The method includes creating a table of the past values of test duration performances and providing average performing information on the past values. A linear function schedule is built. The method allows analysis of the actual data against the linear function schedule. A test progress graph is displayed which takes into account the first results of the current test.
However, the inventors herein recognized that there is a need for modelizing test progression using a more sophisticated estimation of the test plan than a linear function schedule. This estimation would be used to have a view, even before the test starts, and also to monitor the test progress during the test execution period. Many models exist based on the learning curve of software developer(s) during the software development cycle. S-curves learning curves are used to represent the various expenditures of resources in project management, the resources consisting in a human staffing resources or material resources such as supplies, services, commodities and budgets. The S-curves display a history dependent progression from small beginnings that accelerates and approaches a climax over time. Their mathematical Sigmoid function formula include an exponential function of time when expressing the progression: P(t)=1/1+e−t